Rattlers Rally Again for Sweep of the Loons

GRAND CHUTE, WI – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers completed a doubleheader sweep of the Great Lakes Loons with a 6-3 win in the nightcap at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The Rattlers, who rallied from a big deficit in game one to win, trailed 3-0 before scoring five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning in game two to take a lead on the way to victory.

Click here for the boxscore of this game

Deacon Liput hit a long home run with one out in the top of the second inning to give Great Lakes (45-41) a 1-0 lead.

The Loons made it 2-0 on a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Leonel Valera in the third inning.

Andy Pages cracked a two-out, solo home run in the top of the fourth inning and the Loons had a 3-0 advantage. The home run was the 23rd of the season for Pages and tied him with Griffin Conine for the High-A Central League lead in homers.

Wisconsin (41-44) had rallied from five runs down to win game one of the twinbill 8-7 and they weren’t phased this deficit as they headed to bat in the bottom of the fourth.

Joey Wiemer drew a walk and Chad McClanahan doubled to start the frame against Aldry Acosta. Carlos Rodríguez followed with a ground-rule double to left to score both runners and the Rattlers were down 3-2. Hayden Cantrelle drew a walk and that was the end of the line for Acosta.

Andrew Shaps entered from the Great Lakes bullpen and he walked Kekai Rios to load the bases. Antonio Piñero was next and he singled to center to score both Rodríguez and Cantrelle to put Wisconsin ahead 4-3.

Joe Gray Jr. tacked on a final run in the fourth inning with an RBI grounder.

Wiemer, playing in his second game with the Rattlers since his callup from the Carolina Mudcats, crushed his first Wisconsin home run as the lead-off batter in the fifth and Wisconsin was up 6-3.

Nash Walters, who had entered from the Wisconsin bullpen in the top of the fifth and worked a 1-2-3 inning, found himself in trouble in the top of the sixth after a double and a one-out single put runners on the corners. Walters got a strikeout for the second out, but with Pages coming up as the tying run, Wisconsin manager Matt Erickson elected to go to the bullpen and bring closer Taylor Floyd into the game.

The strategy worked as Floyd got Pages to send a hard grounder behind third that was fielded cleanly by McClanahan, who made a strong throw to first to get Pages for the final out.

Floyd struck out the side in order and closed out the game to collect his eighth save of the season.

Wisconsin is 9-1 in five doubleheaders this season and they have won three in a row. The loss was the fifth in a row for the Loons.

Game three of the series is scheduled for Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium. Victor Castañeda (3-5, 3.94) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin. Great Lakes has named Jesús Vargas (5-4, 4.43) as their probable starter. Game time is 7:05pm.

Thursday night features some little, yellow helpers and the first 1,000 fans will receive a character lunch bag courtesy of 4imprint.

It is also a Craft Brews and Brats night with Fox River Brewing Company and 105.7 WAPL. All fans to attend this game may enjoy Cher-Make bratwurst for $2. Fans of legal drinking age may purchase 12-ounce craft brews that are available in the Brews on Third area and other concessions stands throughout the ballpark for only $2.

If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, the radio broadcast is on AM1280, WNAM and internet audio starting with the pregame show at 6:45pm. Thursday’s game is also available on MiLB.tv.